The latest organisation to benefit from the Alpkit Foundation is Swanwick School and Sports College in Derbyshire. The school would like all pupils at the school to participate in some form of climbing. The school is solely for pupils with Special Educational Needs, in particular those with Autism, moderate learning difficulties and those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The school would like to develop their Outdoor Educational curriculum, to become better suited to the pupils. By the end of their current 3 year plan, the school hopes to provide to all pupils with activities such as cycling, climbing, walking and canoeing.
Swanwick School and Sports College explains why the project is so important. “At present we feel there is a gap in our curriculum, and we believe that we can further meet the needs of the pupils at the school. The children who attend SSSC do not always respond to a traditional school curriculum, and we believe that by offering activities that are different to those experienced before, we can breakdown some of the barriers they have to learning. At SSSC we currently run the Duke of Edinburgh award which is a successful and popular choice for pupils in Key-Stage 4, given the vocational nature of the way it is taught. We are hoping that by providing pupils with these opportunities earlier, we can allow pupils to have a positive experience of school, benefiting them throughout their school careers.”
The school would like help from the Foundation as at present, they do not have the capability to offer such activities themselves. As the majority of pupils come from backgrounds of social and economic disadvantage, the expense of running external climbing sessions is a huge barrier. By having their own equipment alongside qualified members of staff, the sessions can be offered to the pupils at no extra cost. The Alpkit Foundation will help in purchasing associated hardware and equipment to allow climbing sessions to be taught, both indoor and out.